Data-driven broiler farmer

Bart Janssen has 90% fewer foot pad lesions

Bart Janssen from the Dutch province of Drenthe took over the baton from his parents at the age of 21 and opted for an increase in scale. Today, he has 500,000 broilers in his 13 houses. Bart Janssen is a modern poultry farmer and always looking for ways to improve. And so he also immersed himself in drinking water management.

Bart Janssen: ‘Each chicks gets exactly the amount of water it needs.’

You have to stay alert all the time

BART JANSSEN

In order to monitor the broilers properly, Janssen Poultry Farm is fully automated: ‘All 13 broiler houses are equipped with a climate and feed computer. I control these from my office or from my phone. I always have insight into all relevant house data and in case of deviations, I receive a warning through an alarm system.’

In addition, a specialised company in

England monitors 24/7 the generated data from all houses online in a repeating 90-minute cycle: ‘Especially deviations in the water intake are an essential indicator for potential problems in your stall.’

Own practical tests

The poultry farmer has, therefore, studied drinking water management intensively. ‘Each chick gets exactly the amount of water it needs at that moment of its growth process. This has a positive effect on both animal welfare and production.’ The choice for the system was not an obvious one. Janssen extensively tested systems and nipples from several manufacturers in

I always have insight into all relevant house data

his houses. Impex came out of this test as the winner. ‘With their low flow nipples, you can still accurately control the water flow, even with low water pressure. Therefore, you have maximum influence on water intake and much less spillage.’

90% fewer foot lesions

Reduction of spillage is very important these days, Janssen points out. ‘Legislation has been tightened enormously. Houses must be really dry and all foot lesions are counted. Do you have too many? Then you may incur fines or be forced to reduce the number of birds per square metre. Some years ago, we had a relatively moist litter area at the end of the crop in two houses, even though we had the feed, litter, ventilation and water basically under control. When we started using the low flow nipples there as well, the litter remained dry. The number of foot lesions has thus been reduced by 90 per cent. We also have our ammonia emissions at a low level now.’

Continuous innovation

Nevertheless, Bart is not just sitting back. On average, he expands or makes a change every three years, and the next one is one that he himself finds exciting. ‘Broiler meat is a popular product with a relatively low cost price and low environmental impact, but changing consumer preferences and retailer influence are shifting demand. The regular broiler will disappear in the Netherlands in the next five years. That is why I am now orienting myself on the switch to less intensive production, in accordance with the requirements of the Better Life quality mark (1 star).’

Sparring partner

It is a transition that will ultimately also have an impact on drinking water management in his poultry houses. Although you are never finished in that respect, Janssen knows. ‘You have to stay alert all the time. We do that by monitoring data, close observation and also sparring with our technology partners.’ ‘I am glad that I decided to completely switch to Impex’s low flow nipples. In the end, it not only gives me better feed conversion but also more convenience. Because we now work with the same drinking water systems almost everywhere, the houses are easier to manage.’

Piet Simons is Ambassador of Dutch Poultry Centre and Past President of World’s Poultry Science Association

Piet Simons

Start of a new century?

About one hundred years ago, Wageningen University was founded (1918) and the 1st World’s Poultry Congress was held (1921) in the Netherlands. This was not a coincidence. Science was driving progress in agriculture. And we all benefited from that. Especially progress in genetics, hatching, nutrition, health, housing and processing are at a high level at the moment. But can we increase this level? Until the 1980s, research was an important part of the triangle of government, extension and research that developed the poultry industry in the Netherlands. The government pulled back a bit and the industry took over. A lot of research is now aimed at finding practical answers to problems the poultry industry faces. This is rather a short term view and fundamental research has often been neglected. If I look on a global level, I see the Chinese government playing an important role in initiating research and developing the sector. Will China become the centre of expertise in the near future?

Globalisation and international collaboration have brought us a lot of good. But the most recent development shows us that it is fragile. COVID-19 showed us that international travel and trade cannot be taken for granted. The situation with Ukraine - the ‘breadbasket of Europe’ - and Russia - provider of fossil fuels – shows us that too much dependency is risky. We need a certain level of self-sufficiency. Not only for commodities, but also in the area of science. Furthermore, I see that trust in science is declining. To a point that scientific evidence is regarded as ‘just an opinion’ or even fake news. Isn’t the position of poultry science at stake here?

Should we go back to governmental funding of research in the Netherlands? Maybe partly, but the current situation has made Europe stronger and this is an opportunity. I say let’s look at Europeanisation as opposed the two extremes of globalisation or nationalism! Europe already invests in research, but often on rather political issues, not fundamental research. And don’t forget the poultry industry, they should play an important role in this as well. Scientific stagnation means decline and others may take your position! Are we on the brink of a new era? And will 2022 be the start of a new century for scientific progress? I hope so!